Electroplating apparatus



Oct. 24, 1939. v A. J. DONALD 7 2 7, 3

ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS I 7 Filed 'Nov. e; 1936 i 1 l I i I 1 1 I l 1 l L.

INVENTOR Q LM DMM ATTORNEY Patented ocez l, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EIECTROPLATING APPARATUS Arthur J. Donald, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application November 8, 1936, Serial No. 109,409

1 Claim.

The invention relates to electroplating and more particularly to an anode for use in the plating apparatus. Heretofore in electroplating apparatus it has 5 been customary to suspend the anodes from a conductor extending lengthwise of the tanks by means of hooks secured to the anodes and engaging over the conductor. This hooked type of connection is a frequent source of trouble in that 110 the connection between the hook and the conductor is often imperfect and the anode, therefore, does not receive the proper amount of current for efllcient plating. One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an arrangement for suspending the anodes from the over-- head bar conductor which insures a positive connection therewith and in which the anodes may be readily replaced when they are used up.

A further object of the invention is to provide an anode supporting arrangement in which the Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional viewthrough a part of the apparatus;

Fig. 41s an enlarged view of the upper end portion of the anode, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section.

In the drawing, the numeral 6 designates the plating tank, 6 the work holder or cathode, and l the anodes from which the metal is to be taken by electrolytic action and deposited upon the work carried by the work holder, the plating being carried out in the usual manner and with various -15 types of plating solutions. The work holder 6 is shown as provided with a hook-shaped end 8 for engaging the supporting and conductor bar 9 which extends lengthwise of the tank and is supported thereon. A series of anodes I aresuspended from the supporting and conductor bar lil extending lengthwise of the tank adjacent each'side thereof.

a rubber hose Ii. said bar being tapped at intervals to provide threaded openings i! to receive the threaded ends it of a permanent connector member it which may be of brass, copper, or

.Monel metal. If of brass or copper, this rod con- 5 nector member may have a rubber coating similar to the covering Ii. The lower end of this rod has a shoulder of flange it which may be polygonal in outline to form a head for engagement with a wrench to facilitate turning up the screw l9 connection between said connector and the bar it to tightly clamp said connector to said bar. A box type wing nut i8 is slidably mounted on the member It and cooperates with the flange ii to draw the end of said member into flrm clamping l5 engagement with the threaded and ll of an anode coupling it when said nut is engaged with said .end, this arrangement providing a union coupling connection between the parts ll and-i8.

The lower end is of the coupling i8 is threaded 20 to engage in a threaded bore 20 in the anode metal plate 2 I.

To insure centering of the parts it and. I 8,. the part it may have a central projection 22 formed thereon to register with a centrally disas posed bore 23 in the member I! which may also have a coating 24 of rubber vulcanized thereon or otherwise suitably applied thereto.

With this construction there is a direct positive connection between the bar iii and all of w the anodes carried thereby; yet if any of the anode plates it become used up, they may be readily replaced by loosening up the nuts It of the used anodes and replacing them with new units formed by the plates El and the couplings it.

As the couplings it are protected, they may be removed from spent anode plates and applied to new ones.

I desire it to be understood that this invenac tion is not to be limited to any particular form "or arrangement of parts except in so far as such limitations are included in the claim.

What I claim as my invention is:

In an electroplating apparatus, the combine.-

-tion of an anode supporting bar, a permanent anode connector comprising a rod having threaded connection at one end with said bar and a flange and. centering projection at its other end,.an anode member having an aperture to 50 receive said centering projection and a surface for abutting engagementwlth said flange, and a v nut for tightly clampingsaid flange against said surface,

ARTHUR J. DONALD. ll 

